This invention relates to a device used in the sport of golf, and more specifically to a device that attaches to any typical golf tee and acts as a stopping mechanism to set a consistent, repeatable teed ball height.
Golf is a game of precision, with many variables affecting a golfer's performance. The elimination of any one variable would presumably lead to greater enjoyment of the game. At the start of every hole a golfer may choose to place his/her ball on a tee, which is designed to hold the ball a certain distance above the ground so as to promote cleaner contact with the club head and more desired distance and direction. Golf tees are ubiquitous, and manufactured to various heights and thicknesses, as well as out of a variety of materials (wood dominates), and with a variety of finishes (paint dominates). Due to the unique nature of individual golfers and the variety of club designs available, for each golfer the exact preferred height varies, but for each golfer it is desirable for the teed ball height to be consistent from hole to hole when the golfer is using the same club.
The prior attempts at providing a means to ensure consistent, repeatable teed ball height can be grouped in several groupings. The first group is specially designed golf tees with accompanying stoppers, which only work with that particular tee. Examples of this grouping are U.S. Pat. No. 1,625,911 (Apr. 26, 1927) to Richards, U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,557 (Dec. 17, 1963) to Cabot, U.S. Pat. No. 3,203,700 (Aug. 31, 1965) to Antonious, U.S. Pat. No. 3,408,079 (Oct. 29, 1968) to Kirikos, Des. 370,041 (May 21, 1996) to Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,055 (Nov. 5, 1996) to Lewis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,122 (Sep. 30, 1997) to Strong, Des. 413,640 (Sep. 7, 1999) to Fearer, III, U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,107 B1 (Nov. 5, 2002) to Sand, U. S. Pat. No. 6,729,977 B1 (May 4, 2004) to Young et al., and 2005/0026726 A1 (Feb. 3, 2005) to Barouh. These prior inventions are not designed to work with a standard, typical golf tee. As typical golf tees are readily available and provided for free or at a very low cost, the best solution for this problem of consistent, repeatable teed ball height is a device that works will all typical tees universally.
The second group of prior attempts at providing a means to ensure consistent, repeatable teed ball height includes tee-setting gauges with predetermined, specific height options. Examples of this grouping are U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,883 (Jan. 30, 1990) to Wagenknecht, U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,510 (Jan. 8, 1991) to Musillo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,388 (Dec. 6, 1994) to Wehner, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,758 (Apr. 7, 1998) to Miketinac. These prior inventions limit the user to the specific, gauge-defined height options which may or may not be the exact height that particular user requires.
The third group of prior attempts at providing a means to ensure consistent, repeatable teed ball height includes tee sets with a variety of heights and/or the ability to combine parts to create a variety of heights. Examples of these types of systems are U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,907 (Feb. 13, 2001) to Woodward, and U.S. Pat. 6,267,235 (Jul. 31, 2001) to Matias and Matias. These prior inventions carry both shortcomings identified for groups one and two—they limit the user to the specific heights provided by the set and also require the user to procure their non-standard teeing system, precluding the use of typical, ubiquitous golf tees in achieving consistent, repeatable teed ball height.
A final example of a prior attempt at providing a means to ensure consistent, repeatable teed ball height is U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,976 (Apr. 6, 1999) to Anderson. This device provides a means for identifying the preferred tee depth, but does not provide a positive stop for the teeing process. Additionally, with this device the user is required to discern, by looking at ground level, through blades of grass, when the line indicating the desired teed depth is in proper relation to the ground.
As evidenced here, the above attempts to provide a repeatable teed ball height do not provide a stopping function combined with the ability to be used with a typical golf tee.